Conventional membrane filtration designs require the membranes and their supports to be removed for maintenance or servicing by lifting the membranes and/or their supports vertically out of the feed tank. As the membranes are normally grouped together in modules they must be removed by means of an overhead crane or hoist mechanism. This normally requires-extra ceiling height in the installation to allow removal of the membranes by conventional methods.
Such removal methods add to the running costs of the installation, the complexity of the maintenance process and to the likelihood of damage occurring to the membranes.